By ANNA M. TINSLEYatinsley@star-telegram.com
If Duane Suddeth had his way, he could strap on a handgun and wear it — anytime, anywhere — without concealing it.

That day has not come in Texas, but the 42-year-old Bedford man is among thousands hoping it is on its way.

"This is the public’s right," Suddeth said. "Whether they choose to exercise that or not is up to them."

Texas, despite its independence and frontier reputation, is one of only six states where handguns cannot — in some form — legally be worn in plain view.

Suddeth is among a group of residents wanting to change that who have joined a growing nationwide "open-carry" movement.

Some say it harks back to constitutional rights and frontier days when settlers carried their weapons where everyone could see them.

"It was considered part of everyday life back then," said John Pierce, co-founder of www.OpenCarry.org, a champion of the effort. "The concealed-carry part was what was looked at with disdain."

In Texas, where residents may carry concealed handguns if they have a permit, more than 3,500 people have signed an online petition asking Gov. Rick Perry and the Legislature to make Texas an open-carry state.

"Cowboys and Indians, and the Alamo — and many just assumed that Texas was an open-carry state," wrote Gary Williams, one of many Texans advocating for gun law change. "Clearly, there are some changes that need to be made."

Gun safety advocates aren’t so sure.

"What are they trying to do? Go back to Texas gunslinger days?" asked Richard Leal, a board member of the Houston-based Texans for Gun Safety. "Things are bad enough as it is, with people 18 and older being authorized to carry guns."

The open-carry effort

Many states such as Texas do have concealed handgun rules and permits in place.

But many also have open-carry rules, unlike Texas, along with New York, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina and Washington, D.C., according to OpenCarry.org.

Dozens of states either issue licenses for open carry or allow the practice without any license, according to the Web site.

"The concealed-carry movement that swept the country in past decades has been a great benefit to law-abiding citizens to be able to protect themselves in an uncertain world," Pierce said. "But we are trying to re-educate people that open carry is . . . a basic gun right."

The Texas Citizens Defense League, of which Williams and Suddeth are members, is trying to get the word out.

Part of that is the petition that asks that all people who may legally buy a handgun also be allowed to carry it openly, except in places prohibited by law.

"I can’t count the times I have been in some discussion about open carry in some Northern state . . . and somebody says, 'Hey, this is not . . . Texas,’ " said Mike Stollenwerk, co-founder of OpenCarry.org.

"And I respond, 'Thankfully you are correct, as open carry is banned in Texas.’ "

Texas reaction

Any change to the law would come from the Texas Legislature, which is why the petition is to lawmakers and Perry.

The issue is not on the governor’s plate yet, a spokeswoman said.

"The governor is very supportive of conceal and carry laws," said Kristi Piferrer, a Perry spokeswoman. "Expanding that to open carry probably will take a lot of public deliberation and legislative guidance."

Some law enforcers say they would be leery of an open-carry policy in Texas.

"I really think it would cause a lot of uneasiness in the community, with people seeing so many guns," Tarrant County Constable Sergio DeLeon said. "It could create more problems than it would solve."

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who as a state senator helped make concealed-carry law in 1995, said he doesn’t believe that open carry would create any problems.

While he never considered proposing an open-carry measure, Patterson said he has seen the practice in Arizona.

"I went into the bank, and a guy walked in with a .45 in his back pocket," he said. "I thought, 'Well, that’s unusual.’ "

"You never know"

Suddeth, an IT professional who does some travel for work, said he would like to openly carry a loaded handgun. In the past year, Suddeth said there was an elderly woman attacked, cars broken into, a home broken into and several assaults in his Bedford neighborhood.

"You never know when crime is going to happen," he said. "I think eventually we will see open carry in Texas.

Open-carry states Texas is one of six states that either do not allow or highly restrict the open carrying of handguns in public. The others are New York, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina, as well as Washington, D.C., according to OpenCarry.org.

More than a dozen states require a license for open carry, from Utah to Mississippi to Massachusetts. Eleven more, from Vermont to Arizona, allow it but don’t require licenses. Still more generally permit it but offer various restrictions. And two states, California and Illinois, allow loaded handguns to be carried in rural areas, according to the Web site.

"OpenCarry.org believes that 'a right unexercised is a right lost,’ and increasingly gun owners are agreeing," according to the Web site. "It’s time gun carry comes out of the closet in America."

Some law enforcers say they would be leery of an open-carry policy in Texas.

"I really think it would cause a lot of uneasiness in the community, with people seeing so many guns," Tarrant County Constable Sergio DeLeon said. "It could create more problems than it would solve."

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You know, in the immediate short term, like two or three weeks worth, he may be right. But, in the long run, outside of the initial "shock" period, I don't see this being any different than someone sporting a mohawk, underwear on the outside of their clothes, the Punk era, the Goth era, etc.

Granted, wearing a firearm needs to come with far more responsibility than donning a black jacket and dying your hair a stupid color, but a responsible person who is law abiding and tax paying SHOULD be the only people that are wearing open carry weapons in the first place. The people doing the real criminal activities with firearms shouldn't be in possession of them in the first place....

I personally am all for it. The more armed citizens, the less chance some idiot is going to run up in the mall this Christmas while I am shopping in an attempt to shoot up the place and get their name in the paper.

You know, in the immediate short term, like two or three weeks worth, he may be right. But, in the long run, outside of the initial "shock" period, I don't see this being any different than someone sporting a mohawk, underwear on the outside of their clothes, the Punk era, the Goth era, etc.

JD

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I agree with you 100%. It's all about de-sensitization of the public. The majority have been brainwashed for so long into believeing that "guns Kill" that the mere sight of a gun is enough to send the "average" person into shock. However, I don't know about carrying EVERYWHERE, but generally I think it's a good idea. Going into a bar and getting ****-faced with a gun on your waist is probably not a good idea. The other concern is being disarmed by someone bigger and stronger than you, and having him use your gun against you or someone else. It might get old fast having to be on maximum awareness everytime you're out in public. You would probably develope an appreciation for the stress cops face on a daily basis..

The other concern is being disarmed by someone bigger and stronger than you, and having him use your gun against you or someone else.

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Well, if there was more open carry, your fellow citizens could put a stop to that. One reason I don't believe any complaints about open carry are valid. If you're scared when you see a gun, or you're scared when it gets dark, or you're scared when someone looks at you funny, then you don't deserve to tell society what to do to make yourself feel secure. Life is tough, candyas*es don't (or shouldn't) make the rules for the rest of us.

If you're scared when you see a gun, or you're scared when it gets dark, or you're scared when someone looks at you funny, then you don't deserve to tell society what to do to make yourself feel secure. Life is tough, candyas*es don't (or shouldn't) make the rules for the rest of us.

Well, if there was more open carry, your fellow citizens could put a stop to that. .

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Have you ever thought that maybe THAT wouldn't happen if your gun wasn't exposed? And if and when your fellow citizens DO react, you and several others may already be dead...An exposed $600 gun IMO would be an enticement to some A-hole looking to replace his well used black-market gun...